Improvement in needle-threaders for sewing-machines



A. THIELEPAPE.

- Needle Threader for Sewing Machines.

Patented April 20. 18691 ,Fwg nib)" machine-needle, in the manner as will gaunt l 69th Letters Patent No. 89,256, datedAp'ril 20, 1869,

IMPROVBLIEN'I IN NEEDLE-THREADERS FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To an whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILHELM O. A. THIELEPAPE, of San Antonio, in the county of Bexar, and State of exas, have invented a new and useful instrument, to witfa. Sewing-Machine Needle-Threader; and I do hercbydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, which will enable others skilled in the art to make-and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of the specifications, in which 1 Figure 1 represents an elevation of thefront side.

Figure 2, the same applied tothe needle.

Figure 3 represents an elevation of the opposite side.

Figure 4 represents an elevation of the side faced to the operator, applied to the needle.

Figure 5 represents a top view.

Figure 6 represents a sectional elevation.

Figure7 represents a perspective view.

Figure 8 represents a sectional elevation the eyelet-frame a.

Figure 9 represents a detached perspective view of thespring e.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a construction of devices for the purpose of facilitating the passing of a thread into theeye of a sewing-machine needle, and is constructed so that it may be applied to any sewing-machine whose needle may be curved, like that of Wheeler & Wilsons, or straight, like those of Singers, and others. p

t represents the eyelet-frame, formed of two equal parallelopipeds, which, being kept together by the action of the springs b b, may be separated by pressing the pins u and '0 toward each other. g

It is further provided with-a conical eyelet, c d, as shown in the figs. 1, 3, 6, 7, and 8, the axis of which through lies in the joint planes of the parallelopipeds, its apex,

d, in the front 'side, its basis, 0, in the opposite side of the eyelet-frame, through which eyelet the thread has to pass when the instrument is used and applied to the p be explained hereafter, and as is shown in figs. 2 and 4;

The adjusting-plate r serves to adjust the instrument, so as to suit both the form of the machineneedle 11, and the distance of its eye from the under end of the needle-arm g of the sewing-machine.

For this purpose the adjusting-plate 1' is movable, by loosening the screw s, which acts 011 the pivot t, that supports the adjusting-plate, and works loosely in the hole provided for it in the centre of the top-piece m. Thus the distance from the eyelet (Z up to the top of the adjusting-plate r can be made exact-1y corre- 'sponding with the distance from the needles eye up to the end of the needle-arm g.

plate is provided with a semicircular notch at each of two opposite edges, as shown in-the figs. 1, 2, 3, 5, (i,

strument, in case a curved needle is used, as is shown in fig. 2 of the drawings.

Either of these notches serves to receive the ma-' chine-needle close to the needle-arm. v The groove '5, cut in the front sideof the eyeletframe'a, at the joining-line of the two parallelopipeds,

as shown in the figs. 1, 2,' 6, and 7, its sectional shape,

being shown in fig. 8, serves to receive the lower end of the machine-needle, and thus places-the eyelet d of the instrument exactly in line with the eye of the machine-needle, provided the instrument is properly adjusted, as above mentioned.

The spring 0 serves, when moved on the needle, as

shown in the figs. 2, 4, and 5, to fasten the instrument to the needle of the sewing-machine. It therefore can be turned in a plane parallel to the front side of the eyelet-frame (6 about its one end, which passes loosely through a hole provided for it in the eyelet-frame,and. thus either be put in the position as shown in the figs. l and 7, or in that as shown in the figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5. Above the dotted line marked w 1', (see figs.'1 and 6,) the surface of the eyelet-frame is cut away, so as to allow the spring 6 to act equally as well on a fine as on a coarse needle.

In using the instrument, it is necessarily first to be adjusted, by putting that notch of the adjusting-plate 'r at the fi'ont side of the instrument that is adapted to the form of the machine-needle, as above explained,

and by making the distance from the eyelet d up to the top of the adjusting-plate equal to the distance from the nee'dles eye up,to the needle-arm of thesewing-machine, observing that the spring 0 be in the position as shown in figs. 1 and 7. This done, apply the instrument, with its front side to the machine-needle, so that the upper end of the needle, close to the needlearm, be placed in the' appropriate notch of the adj usting-plate, and the lower end of the needle in the groove 1' of the eyelet-frame, and move the spring e on the needle, as shown in fig. 2; The eyelet of the instrument will thus coincide with the eye of the machineneedle, and the instrument be fastened, so as to enable the operator to make use of both hands for the purpose of twisting the end of the thread to a point, and entering the same by the left handinto the eyelet at c. The thread being guided by the conical form of the eyelet, will pass through the eye of the'machine-needle, and can now be caught by the right hand of the operator and drawn through. To answer the form of the needle, the adjusting- Having thus succeeded with the main objcct the thread runs now through both the eye of the machineneedle and the eyelet of the instrument, from which it can easily be detached by pressing, with thumb and,

fore-finger of the left hand, the knobs .of the pins 'u and 1; toward each other, and by removing at the same time, with the right hand, the spring '0 from the needle into its former position.

The action of the pins u and 4; will effect the separation of the parallelopipeds, of which the eyelet frame a is formed, as shown in fig. 7:, and thereby release the thread, and the removal of the spring a from the machine-needle will allow the instrument to be taken away, while the thread remains in the eye of the machine-needle.

The instrument can be easily adjusted to the needle of the sewing-machine, by loosening first, the screw s, and allowing the adjusting-plate 'r to rest on the toppiece, m, observing that the notch answering the form .of the needle be at the frontside of the instrument.

- the whole manipulation of applyingthe instrument tothe needle, and passing the thread into its eye, is done in half a minute, no matter whether the eye of the needle be large or small, while persons, even tailors very often lose ten or more minutes of costly time by the old and tedious mode. 1

The instrument once adjusted to a sewing-machine, can also be used to advantage for the purpose of setting in a machine-needle, by fastening first, the needle to the instrument, so that its eye coincides with the eyelet of the instrument, and then setting the upper knob, and fastened to the opposite one, as shown in the fig. 7.

Having thus described my invention, 1 I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The eyelet-frame a, in combination with the springs b b, for keeping the parallelopipeds-together, and the pins to and v for separating them, the spring 2, for attaching the device to the machine-needle, and the ad justing-plate 1', with its notches n and 0, adapted for a curved or a straight needle, all constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose described. San Antonio, Bexar county, Texas, February 11, 1869 \Vitnesses; WILH. O. A. THIEIJEPAPE.

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